


Focus on me

by scintillae



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Photographer, M/M, Mutual Pining, matchmaker Sylvain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23084662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scintillae/pseuds/scintillae
Summary: Sylvain is hiding something from him. Something that is going to make Dimitri regret he ever agreed to it. He bites at his lower lip. He has a terrible feeling.Dimitri looks up when the door leading backstage opens, and he freezes.Claude von Riegan just walked in.---------Dimitri is a photographer and a pretty big fan of pop sensation Claude von Riegan.Sylvain likes to play matchmaker for his friends.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 19
Kudos: 218





	Focus on me

_I will pierce your heart_

_Fate can’t keep us apart_

Dimitri turns up the volume on his phone as he takes a puff off his cigarette. Claude von Riegan’s new album came out just last week and, admittedly, Dimitri hasn’t really listened to anything else since, much to Sylvain’s amusement.

“You’re a pretty big fan, aren’t you?” He teased when Dimitri had coffee with him just the day before. “Come on, I know you set a picture of him as your phone background. I saw it.”

Dimitri nearly choked on his drink, but didn’t contradict his friend. What if he did? The concept art for the new album, _Golden Dear_ , is gorgeous; Claude von Riegan looks like a lord of yore in his golden costume and signature side-eye look and smirk. What’s wrong with setting a beautiful picture of a beautiful man as his phone background?

Sylvain is the reason why Dimitri is here today. He had another shoot planned, but it has been cancelled at the last minute. A bummer, but it happens. When he had told Sylvain, his friend immediately mentioned this streetwear brand’s new collection and how _their_ photographer had cancelled on them at the last minute, too! Luckily, Dimitri’s schedule lined up perfectly, so using his influence as a model himself, Sylvain had brought his friend’s name forward. _“You know? This is what friends do.”_

Dimitri had no reason to refuse, even though his friend struck him as unusually enthusiastic.

The door of the studio opens behind him. Dimitri turns his head. “Mr Blaiddyd? The model just arrived. He’s going to get changed and get his makeup done, but it shouldn’t take too long. Can you come install your equipment?”

Dimitri breathes out a puff of smoke, nodding. “My apologies. I’m coming.” He says as he puts out his cigarette before throwing it in the trash. He removes his headphones and shoves his phone in his pocket.

The set is entirely white, with a few accessories, like a chair, a football, a skateboard; nothing original for this type of shoot. Dimitri leaves his brown trenchcoat on a table and takes out his camera. A few adjustments to the light and everything is ready. Dimitri is used to shoots for fashion magazines, and his model feels comfortable before the camera, it shouldn’t take too long or be too hard.

Everyone is waiting on the model now. Dimitri’s phone vibrates in his pocket.

🦊 Sylvain: dont forget to tell me how it went!!

🦊 Sylvain: i want to know _everything_

🦊 Sylvain: **_everything!!_ **😘

Sylvain may have always liked Dimitri’s work, but he is overdoing it this time. Sylvain is hiding something from him. Something that is going to make Dimitri regret he ever agreed to it. He bites at his lower lip. He has a _terrible_ feeling.

Dimitri looks up when the door leading backstage opens, and he freezes.

Claude von Riegan just walked in.

Dimitri leaves his phone on the table with shaky hands, only for the phone to fall onto the floor. Curses.

Claude greets everyone with a smile, then walks up to Dimitri who has just picked up his phone. “You must be the photographer, Dimitri Blaiddyd, right? I’m Claude.” He says as he offers Dimitri his hand.

Dimitri wipes his hand before shaking Claude’s. How could Sylvain do this to him _without telling him?_ He thought they were friends. Oh, Sylvain would do that only to a friend. “Yes. Yes, that’s me. Good afternoon, Claude.”

Claude smiles up at Dimitri. “I’m looking forward to working with you. My team was kind of in a panic when the photographer cancelled on us a few days ago, but when I told my friend, Sylvain, Sylvain Gautier, he told me you’d gladly step in. You saved us here.”

_Sylvain. Curse you, Sylvain._

Given Dimitri’s lack of response, Claude continues: “When I looked you up, I saw you were the one behind those awesome pictures of Hilda Goneril they put all around town. Hilda has always been a beauty, but somehow you made her even more beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with me.” He says with a wink.

“Y-Yes.” Dimitri takes a deep breath. He shouldn’t have put on a turtleneck this morning, he feels like he is suffocating. Focus. Focus. He is here to work. “Well, let’s get to it.”  
  
While Claude gets familiar with the set and the accessories, Dimitri pulls his hair back in a ponytail, eyeing his model. Claude is wearing large torn light blue jeans, a simple white shirt under a black bomber with a golden deer embroidered in the back and pins at the front, all reminding of _Golden Dear_ ’s themes.

Claude is so widely popular among young adults, with both men and women, and this line of clothing is everyday wear; a casual boyfriend attitude seems to be the most fitting. Dimitri asks for the table and chair to be brought on the set and Claude takes a seat. He seems to have gotten the same idea, as he casually slips his hand in his pocket, leans back into the chair and looks at Dimitri with a smile and eyes scolding him for being late in the most attractive way possible.

Dimitri swallows. He kneels in front of Claude, camera ready.

In every official picture of Claude Dimitri has seen, Claude’s emerald green eyes pierce right through the viewer. He teases them with his confident smirk, as if saying: “Yes, I am gorgeous. You can’t look away. You want me.” And he is correct, although seeing it in picture is one thing, experiencing it first-hand is another.

Claude’s ease in front of the camera is disconcerting. He follows Dimitri’s instructions perfectly and adds his own ideas and poses, as he seems to have understood what Dimitri is going for perfectly. Dimitri finds himself wishing Claude weren’t so good, to let the shoot drag a little, but each pose is carefully thought through and executed, from the position of the feet and hands, to the angle at which he tilts his head.

Dimitri snaps a few more pictures in different poses before Claude leaves to put on the second outfit of the day. After a quick look at the pictures he just took, Dimitri observes that a great majority of them are usable as is. Claude really is amazing. While Claude’s poses are nearly flawless, Dimitri does take some pride in telling himself his admiration for his model shone through. The carefully chosen angles flatter Claude’s best features, the light enhances the glint in his eyes, the distance is a perfect balance between “out of reach” and “accessible”. What a joy it is going to be to go through each picture one by one on his laptop later to pick the best ones.

Dimitri sets his camera aside. Claude won’t be back before a few more minutes. In the meantime, Dimitri checks his phone. No new message from Sylvain. He leaves his phone on the table, but takes his pack of cigarettes. If he doesn’t clear his head, he will not make it through the entire shoot and Claude will be the death of him.

Once he is outside, Dimitri lets out a deep sigh as he recalls Sylvain’s words. _“You’re a pretty big fan, aren’t you?”_ Dimitri chuckles to himself as he lights his cigarette. He doesn’t know whether he hates or adores Sylvain right now. A mixture of a great deal of both, surely. “Idiot.” Dimitri mutters as he takes a puff.

“Who, me?” Claude asks.

Dimitri blinks and turns around. He thought he was on his own, but Claude is standing right there. “Oh… Obviously not.”

“Can I have a smoke?”

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Dimitri tilts his head, but ends up handing Claude a cigarette and his lighter. This time, Claude is wearing yellow and black tartan pants, with a chain on the side, and a black cropped hoodie.

“Thanks. Why do you sound so surprised?” Claude says as he lights up the cigarette. “I’m not the perfect boyfriend I’m pretending to be.” He adds with a slight laugh.

Dimitri smiles. “I suppose not. What a silly idea.” How much of Claude’s persona is truly him?

“How are the pictures looking so far? I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

Dimitri briefly looks at his feet, but he can feel Claude’s emerald eyes on him. “I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I honestly believe they’re looking very good. I don’t really see how I could improve them further, except for a few minor adjustments here and there. You’re very easy to work with, Claude.”

Claude takes a puff before he shakes his head. “I just stand there and look pretty.”

“You’re oversimplifying it greatly. It takes a lot of practice to learn to pose like you do. You are in full control of your own image, and while it is my job to sublimate you, it is much easier if my model is gorgeous to begin with, and- Wait, you’re fishing for compliments, aren’t you?”

Claude’s smirk says it all. He simply shrugs as he breathes out the smoke. Dimitri can’t help but laugh. Claude laughs, too, and the moment his eyes meet Dimitri’s, Dimitri’s heart skips a beat. He cannot look away. The two remain silent for a moment, looking at the other, smoking. Should he say something? He is content just looking at Claude, but isn’t it weird? Claude seems comfortable simply looking back.

The door opens behind them. “Excuse me? Everyone is waiting for you back inside.”

They break eye contact at the same time.

The shoot resumes. After a few more poses, Dimitri needs one more picture, the one that jumped to his mind the moment he processed he was going to work with Claude von Riegan, the one he wants to see on the cover of the magazine and everywhere on the street: Claude’s signature look.

“Claude, can you stand on the side, put your hood on, place your hands as if you’re about to pull it down and… look at me?”

Claude nods. “You got it.” He stands exactly as instructed. He licks his lips before he tilts his head up to look at Dimitri. The side look, the smirk… There it is.

Dimitri’s eyes meet Claude’s again. Neither says anything or moves, until an assistant speaks up. “Mr Blaiddyd, is there a problem?”

Dimitri blinks and looks away. He is standing a few steps from Claude, his camera in hand. One look back at his model. There is amusement in Claude’s smirk.

Dimitri snaps a few pictures, in a mortified silence.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.” Claude says with a smile, waving at the entire team.

Dimitri is sitting on the table where he left his things. Never again. His heart and nerves wouldn’t take it. When he looks up, Claude is coming his way. “It was a pleasure meeting you and working with you, Dimitri. You know, Sylvain told me only good things about you. All of them true.”

“And what has he told you exactly?” Dimitri replies, wary.

Claude smirks and shrugs. “Until next time, yeah?”

Why is Claude dodging the question? What has Sylvain said? Why isn’t Claude- Wait. “Next time?”

Claude winks and disappears backstage.

_Next time?_

The moment Dimitri gets home, he is going to take a long bath, order food from his favourite place and unpack all of today’s events. Possibly call Sylvain. No, he doesn’t have the strength for that today, but Sylvain will definitely hear of this in the near future. Dimitri gathers his things and puts his headphones on, plugging them on his phone. His screen lights up. Dimitri’s eyes widen in horror.

His phone background has been changed. Claude’s picture was replaced by… another picture of Claude. A selfie. Taken in this very studio. On this very phone. Claude is winking at the camera, doing a peace sign. He is wearing the cropped hoodie from earlier.

And, to boot, a notification pops in the upper part of Dimitri’s screen.

🦌 Claude: hey ;)

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends. im trying to write more consistently and i can't get dimiclaude out of my head.  
> come talk to me about dimiclaude @_fhirdiad on twitter
> 
> leave a kudos or a comment  
> love u ✨


End file.
